You named this "the menopause mattress" - is it really that effective?

Silentnight's Lift Breathe Mattress is unofficially known as the menopause mattress. Whilst many claim to keep you cool, this is the one that was retrospectively re-named by the people who slept on it thanks to its incredibly light, cooling, and breathable properties. Sound like a dream?

Silentnight describes the Lift Breathe Mattress with all the words that are synonymous with the best cooling mattresses. They explain that it has been "specifically designed to regulate temperature and maintain a cool, fresh, breathable sleeping environment, greatly improving sleep quality for hot sleepers."

To prove that these claims are not a lot of hot air, I tasked one of our testers who is struggling with particularly intense night sweats to answer whether this could be the best way to sleep in the heat. She said "it takes the 'wet' out of night sweats". Here's why.

Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress review

No mattress can send rollercoaster hormones packing, but the UK’s most trusted sleep brand has done the next best thing. The Silentnight Lift Breathe might lean firm, but it’ll keep you cooler, drier, and more supported than mattresses twice the price. If menopause symptoms are keeping you awake at night, this little gem deserves a spot on your mattress upgrade shortlist.

How we tested the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress

Before we get into the details of this Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress review, here's some backstory behind the person who tested this mattress.

Carly Hall-Simms

Carly describes herself as "the sweatiest peri-peri-meno-monster" when she started testing mattresses for us. She wanted to test a cooling mattress out of sheer exasperation, explaining how she has to wash her sheets every morning because of her night sweats. She also struggles with joint pain as a result of her symptoms, saying "I'm a red-hot Yorkshireworman and not in a good way". After buying a cooling mattress that only served to make her feel hotter, she's been on the lookout for the places where you can spend money and actually get some relief from your symptoms. Silenight might just be the place.

Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress specifications

What's inside the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress?

Under the covers, the Lift Breathe mattress features an expert mix of support, sustainability and cooling power.

You'll see SIlentnight talk about 1600 Mirapocket Springs. Springs are music to my ears when we're talking about mattresses, especially when I'm talking to hot sleepers or people struggling with night sweats. The beauty of springs are that they open up the inside of your bed, making it much easier for air to flow through them. Each spring will also respond independently to the weight that's placed on it, which is great for both pressure relief and minimising the amount of motion that's transferred through the mattress. In theory, it's a brilliant idea and, in practice, Carly found that the Lift Breathe was "responsive and airy, keeping me cool and comfortable all night long." They definitely do the trick.

You'll also see that Silentnight uses a breathable foam alternative on top of the springs. It's designed to be better for the environment as well as hot sleepers. Foam is normally anathema for anyone who gets hot at night, because it's really insulating and Carly was hesitant to test the alternative. However, after one month on the Lift Breathe, she described it as "wizardry...it's genius". It promises to be ten times more breathable than memory foam and, if Carly's experience is anything to go by, it really delivers.

Inside the mattress there are also Eco Breathe Fibres, which offer improved airflow and pressure relief that will also work without trapping heat. They're crafted from recycled plastic bottles, which is a nice touch if you're looking for sustainability in your new mattress. It's the full package, also offering credentials that affirm it is hypoallergenic and free from chemical treatments.

Unboxing and setting up the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress

You might not think that the delivery and packaging of your mattress matters, but that's why I'm here to tell you that it does. Getting rid of your old mattress can be a difficult process, hence why millions end up in landfill Careful, sustainable packaging of your new mattress can also be the difference between a fresh, plush mattress on your bed, compared to a muddy scuffed one in your home.

Carly was really pleased with the whole process behind ordering and the delivery the Silentnight Lift Breathe mattress. "It doesn't take much to get me giddy," she says, "but free next-day delivery definitely filled my cup." It's actually really rare to have that kind of delivery offered up on a mattress. I expect up to 8 weeks to be reasonable timeframe, so Silentnight are brilliant if you need a mattress urgently.

She told me that when the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress arrived, the delivery people were friendly and helpful, taking the mattress up to her bedroom without any dramas.

The Silentnight came "wrapped in a respectable amount of plastic - enough to protect it in transit but not so much that it felt wasteful. There was also an option to have my old one taken away for £35". All of that is a great deal. Disposal services with mattresses are always worth taking advantage of and it's pretty rare for delivery drivers to help you get a mattress in place.

What is the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress like to sleep on?

Once Carly had unwrapped the mattress and set it on the bed, she noted "a faint 'new' smell that had gone by the next day". This kind of low-level temporary scent speaks to the chemical-free credentials that SIlentnight boasts. Some foam-style mattresses will have something called "off-gassing", which isn't ideal for the air quality in your room. A minimal amount of new mattress smell is a brilliant start for the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress.

You'll see the Lift Breathe described as a medium-firm mattress, so it's often the choice for hot sleepers and those with joint pain. Given that Carly struggles with both, it seems like the natural fit for keeping her snug and well-rested. She explained that "during the first week, I wondered whether I'd made a huge mistake as the Lift Breathe felt quite hard, but from week two, I started waking up without my usual stuff hips and knees. It felt supportive, but bouncy enough to give my achy joints the TLC they need."

From Carly's experience, the Lift Breathe definitely leans into the firmer side of medium-firm, but with clear benefits for joint relief and motion isolation. Carly said that her husband was "quick to announce he was sleeping better thanks to less tossing and turning" from her. You can also see in the image below that it has brilliant edge-to-edge support. Carly found that the springs moved with her and hardly wobbled the other side of the bed when she was moving around. If you share the bed or sleep on your side, this will keep a firmness that only hotel-style beds can rival.

One aspect of the Silentnight Lift Breathe that Carly notes is that it's 31cm deep. The average mattress ranges from 24-30cm, so given that this just tips over into the deeper side, you'll need to make sure that you have really deep fitted sheets. From a sleeping experience, this extra height adds a really nice, luxurious feel to your bed. You'll just have to remember the sheet size to make sure that your made bed looks as good as it feels.

The aspect of the Lift Breathe that I was dying to hear about was how cooling it is. Whilst cooling mattresses rarely offer cold sleep, what you can hope for is breathability and moisture wicking fibres. For Carly, who was struggling pretty chronically with night sweats, this mattress delivered.

She praises the Lift Breathe, saying "I no longer wake in a puddle of my own despair. Its breathable, magic layers pull heat and moisture away from my body, keeping the surface of my mattress as well as my skin, dry," she continues "my washing machine is also getting a well-earned rest as I no longer need to wash my bedding every morning."

Carly caveats her praise by saying "it doesn't feel ice cold, but it keeps you drier, which is half of the battle. And, whilst it hasn't stopped my night sweats or other menopause symptoms, it has made them more bearable." That's why it's been nicknamed the menopause mattress, because it helps.

Carly does offer one extra piece of advice, which is to make sure that you're using a cotton mattress protector. Plastic, waterproof ones will trap heat and moisture like clingfilm, whereas cotton will help to wick away heat and moisture alongside the technology inside the Silentnight.

How does the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress compare?

The Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress ticks a lot of boxes: it's brilliant for helping menopause symptoms, great for joint pain, and is reasonably priced too. the place where you might have wobbled is that this is on the firm side of medium firm. that's where our comparisons come in.

The Eve Sleep Premium Mattress is a similar price to the Silentnight Lift Breathe. Rather than using an eco-friendly foam alternative, the Eve sleep uses two layers of graphite to help make the mattress cool to sleep on. The rest of the bed is memory foam, making it much softer and mouldable around your body. This does mean that it's less effective at cooling in comparison, although the Eve is still cooling in comparison to other foam mattresses. However, if you know you can't sleep on a firmer bed, it's a brilliant compromise.

The other alternative that I recommend is the Button & Sprung Southdown Mattress. This starts around £300 more expensive than the Silentnight, so it's more of an investment. However, its environmental credentials are better (it's made of all-natural fibres and pocket springs), which means that you won't have any of the new mattress smells that might unsettle you. It's also customisable, so you can make it a little softer than the Lift Breathe whilst also benefitting from some impressive, naturally cooling credentials.

The Southdown also comes with a ten year guarantee, which is exactly what I would want from a mattress. After ten years, you should be changing yours anyway. The Silentnight only has a five year guarentee, which is a lot less than average. Whilst it's good value for money in the short term, it's worth considering whether spending a little extra could save you in the long run.

Should you buy the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress?

The best person to ask "is the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress worth buying?" is Carly. She says "for £749 you're getting proper support, breathable materials, and maneagable night sweats that don't disrupt your sleep. It's the first mattress I've slept on in a long time that hasn't left me sore or soaked and that feels like a win. Whilst it might not be luxury-soft or ice-cold, it's a relief for anyone who's hot, hormonal, and desperate for sleep."

Given that this is a mid-range price point with premium performance, the Silentnight Lift Breathe Mattress more than earns its keep. Carly's old mattress was twice the price and didn't keep her half as cool as this. So, when you look at all the underperforming mattresses, they only highlight how valuable this model is for menopausal sleepers. It's a smart, worthwhile buy.